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UNOS advances plan to restructure transplant network governance to best serve patients
To increase autonomy and transparency to better serve the nation’s transplant patients, UNOS recommends a restructure of respective boards of directors and to establish the OPTN as an independent non-profit entity.
Change addressing disparity for black kidney patients takes effect
New policy allows for waiting time adjustments for those disadvantaged by the use of race-based measures of kidney health.
UNOS leadership requests USDS engagement concerning leaked report and impact on patients
Leaders in organ donation and transplantation seek meeting and assessment with U.S. Digital Service concerning IT systems that make over 41,000 transplants possible per year.
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Kidney – Pancreas
Waitlist enhancements and new kidney features coming Sept. 27
On Sept. 27, UNOS will launch the first in a series of enhancements to the visual design and workflows in Waitlist.
National Minority Donor Awareness Month: A celebration and a call to action
An opportunity to celebrate those who gave the gift of life and encourage others to register their decision
Pre-implementation notice: Minimum kidney donor criteria established for biopsies
Effective Sept. 6, OPOs will be required to perform renal procurement biopsies for deceased kidney donors meeting certain criteria.
Liver – Intestine
Updated 15–month monitoring report available for liver, intestine policy
Geographic variability in median urgency scores at transplant has decreased.
National Liver Review Board guidance documents updated
Updates made to pediatric and non-HCC adult exception guidance.
OPTN Board approves VCA transplant programs, liver allocation refinements, and strategic plan
New VCA specialties included in member directory.
Heart – Lung
Transplant patient webinar addresses upcoming changes to lung distribution
The OPTN will host a webinar for transplant patients to learn about upcoming changes to lung distribution.
Three-month monitoring report for heart policy following a device recall now available
Report shows key measures of adult heart allocation based on policy changes implemented in July 2022.
Lung Composite Allocation Score (CAS) calculator coming February 2023
The lung Composite Allocation Score (CAS) calculator will be available on the OPTN website beginning Feb. 2, 2023.
VCA
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Improving the system together
How OPOs improve performance and increase transplants nationwide
Organ donations can be hard to get, but organ procurement organizations are educating communities to improve donation rates. Learn what they are doing here.
Reducing unwanted organ offers
A new UNOS pilot project tests ways to avoid unwanted offers, speed up organ allocation and transplant more organs.
LifeLink of Georgia increases African-American organ donation
Bobby Howard, Director of Multicultural Donation Education at LifeLink of Georgia talks about how building trust increases African-American organ donation
UNet
Important information about attachments in DonorNet
Starting Nov. 1, users will no longer be able to attach files to donor records in DonorNet® via email or fax. Users will need to utilize the other tools available to upload attachments to donor records.
Reminder: Patient status options for TRF forms
Reminder of Patient Status options available to members. Please continue to complete TRF forms as they are assigned with the appropriate patient status.
Site security administrator search feature now live
Report added to UNet Security Administration that allows site security administrators to search for other site security administrators.
“… policy is the living, breathing expression of group values.”
Martha Pavlakis, M.D. on new policies that put patients first
Policy changes
New and changed data collection on TIEDI in effect
These policy changes impacting TIEDI forms were approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in March 2022.
Updates to data submission policy in effect
Effective Aug. 30, new requirements under revisions to OPTN Policy 18: Data Submission Requirements include a data lock provision to make changes to any of the eight TIEDI forms.
Changes to HLA and unacceptable antigen options in effect
Updates to HLA typing and unacceptable antigen reporting options and equivalencies are now in effect.
Policy monitoring
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Learn: Collaborative improvement and educational resources
IN FOCUS
Heart transplant sets all-time record in 2021
31,238 lifesaving heart transplants have been performed at hospitals across the country over the past decade.
Collaboration
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Education
Infectious disease testing resource documents for deceased and living donors now available
These resources can help improve the understanding of and compliance with OPTN living and deceased donor infectious disease testing requirements
Policies implemented to align with PHS guideline: Living Donor Specimen Storage, Informed Consent
Resources and information about elements of the policy change implemented on June 1, 2021. New elements address living donor transplants.
Effective practices
Learn about collaborative improvement projects
Learn about issues impacting patients, donors, donor families, and the national system. Issues and advocacy
Perspectives
“Saving children is about preserving our future.”
Pediatric transplant surgeon George V. Mazariegos, M.D., on new liver distribution policy
Introducing UNOS’ new mission and vision statements
A message from the Board of Directors president Maryl Johnson, M.D.
Making liver distribution more fair and equitable
New liver allocation policy will save more lives according to statistical modeling under the new liver and intestine distribution policy.
Leadership news
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“The dozens of topics presented at TMF shared one thing—our community’s dedication to doing everything we can to constantly improve the system and better serve the patients who rely on us.”
Patient safety
Patient Safety Alert: Baxter recall of sodium chloride irrigation solution
You should locate and remove from your facility any product from the lot specified in the recall.
Patient Safety Alert: Hospira recall of irrigation/drainage sets
Some bladder irrigation and urinary drainage products manufactured by Hospira Inc. recalled.
DiaSorin EBV Testing Kit has Potential to Produce False Negatives
Manufacturer will replace any kits you have to destroy, free of charge.
Transplant hospital
Nashville’s Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital West’s focus on quality improvement
Heather Marshall of Ascension Saint Thomas West Hospital on the education and peer support initiative her program helped pilot.
New lung data collection fields coming to support lung continuous distribution
Effective Nov. 8, two new lung data fields are being implemented in preparation for lung continuous distribution, which is to be released in January 2023.
Two new enhancements added to DonorNet
Two new enhancements are available in DonorNet. These enhancements display as tooltips, visible when the user hovers over a button or question mark icon.
OPO
A lasting legacy: Lisa Schaffner honored posthumously with newly renamed award
The late UNOS director of public communications helped establish an award recognizing advocates in 2010. Now, the same award has been renamed to honor its very first champion.
New OPO System and Process Measures Dashboard now available
The OPO System and Process Measures Dashboard is available to all OPOs in the OPTN Visual Analytics section of the data services portal in UNet.
Building a team, serving a community: Pride at NEDS
New England Donor Services LGBTQIA+ outreach meets the community where they are.
Histocompatibility
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Stories and tributes
Each person touched by organ donation transplant has a unique story. Threads of hope connect them. Find videos, stories and tributes